Wraith
by Jimmy Coin
Summary: AU. Naruto's will is shattered as he was denied being a ninja by the Hokage's advisors. With this will shattering defeat, Naruto's determination is bent but not broken. Loosely based on "Iron Man," by Black Sabbath kinda sorta if you squint really hard.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **This and the rest of the following chapters are based on characters and a world not of my own.

**Prologue**

Uzumaki Naruto was on top of the world. The hitai-ate currently resting on his head was worn and frayed but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. His surrogate father, Umino Iruka had bestowed the right of passage on to Naruto after he had kicked the ass... er defeated the traitor chuunin, Mizuki. Naruto was happily walking around Konohagakure no Sato, displaying his new found induction into the shinobi ranks. The citizens didn't know if they should quell their hateful gazes, or increase their deathly gaze even more. Naruto didn't care though. He had a week off before teams were assigned and currently, he had to go get his picture taken and registered into the Konoha bingo books.

However, before he had to do that, the Hokage had summoned him to come and visit before he designated picture appointment. Naruto understood that he had a special relationship with the Hokage. No Genin, scratch that, Academy student could walk into the Hokage's office and take a seat in his office just to get away from things. Naruto probably did that at least once a week. It wasn't so much to get away from the glares and whatnot, but the Hokage needed someone to come in every once in a while to get his mind off all of that paper work... right?

The weird thing about today was, the Hokage has never _formally_ summoned him before... ever. Naruto didn't know if every new genin was summoned as a congratulations and to meet their commander, or if something was going on. Naruto figured that none of it mattered though, nothing could bring him down from the high he felt at being one step closer to his dream.

Iruka could only stare, opened mouth and gaping like a fish out of water. He faintly noticed that the Hokage looked as if he had swallowed some fecal matter. However, his two adivosrs looked content with the decision made. Iruka couldn't believe what was about to happen. The utter discrimination against Naruto wasn't just blatent, it was sickening.

Not only that, Iruka could only think of the impact it would have on Naruto. Someone who was pushed to the edge so many times, only to be forcefully pulled back by either himself or the Hokage; well Iruka wasn't too sure if him and the Hokage could pull him back from the brink after this.

Iruka was pulled out of his angry stupor by a knock on the door. Iruka was surprised for a couple of different reasons. One, he never heard Naruto knock on a door before, and two, the advisors called him in so that they just had enough time to inform Iruka of the descision, without him arguing the agreement.

Naruto slowly walked in, with an uncertain happy smile on his face. It was quickly wiped away once he witnessed the horro on Iruka's face, and the defeat in the Hokage's eyes. Naruto's thoughts were quickly confirmed that something was up, however they were quite different as of why. Naruto believed there was some princess who needed to be rescued off in a far distant land, and only he could rescue her because he was the best up and coming ninja in Konoha's ranks, and when he successfully completed the mission, he would be named Hokage. Dire, but not that bad.

However, Naruto was brought from his thoughts when the Hogae cleared his throat. Naruto noted the two Hokage advisors, Koharu and Homura-temes, had particular smug looks on their faces. Naruto now knew that this most likely was not going to be good. The Hokage gave Naruto a grave look and began to speak.

"Due to recent research by by my 'colleagues,'" the Hokage sneered, "a 'loophole' has been found that has no mention of an in-field promotion to Academy students. As such," here the Hokage shed a lone tear as his words were finally reaching a vacant Naruto, "you, Uzumaki Naruto, are stripped of the rank 'Genin' and due to your poor grades and failing of the Academy sessions three times, as per the rules, you are no longer allowed to pursue the field of 'shinobi.'" The Hokage shook his head in disgust as he could almost see Naruto's heart breaking and dreams getting shattered.

Iruka tried to reach out to console his young, ex-charge, but Naruto jerked out of his reach. Naruto slowly untied his hitai-ate, revelling in the fleeting feeling of being one of his village's protectors. Once the deed had been done, Naruto dropped the now decrepted, tattered cloth to the floor. His shoulders sagged, as if the world was on them, and his arms swung lazily in front of him. His head drooped, causing a shadow over his eyes. The Hokage described the look as an utterly and thoroughly defeated person, and that is how Uzumaki Naruto felt.


	2. Chapter1

**Chapter 1**

Sakura realized that she was in a pickle. The three little runts running around, and eventually infurating her to no end, had gotten her into a sticky situation. After chasing the brats, they ran into two, menacing looking Suna-nins. The big guy was dressed in black, with black face paint covering his features. Opposite him was a fairly attractive blonde, dressed in loose clothing with metal fishnet sticking out from underneath her clothes. The guy with cat ears and the girl with four pig tails also had what looked to be menacing looking weapons on their back, but from this distance, Sakura couldn't tell.

"Damn gaki's are all over place, eh Temari?" Remarked the kabuki man.

The girl known as Temari just snorted before saying back, "Do do anything that'll get us in trouble, Kankuro. You don't want to get... _him_ mad, do you?"

Kankuro just shuddered when she mentioned _him_, but Sakura had no idea what or whom she was talking about. When she looked at the other two children, she could only see despair and hope in their young eyes that she would help them. Sakura bit her lip before the ultimate confrontation.

"W-what are you two doing in Konohagakure no Sato? I understand we're allies, but I'll have to see your papers before I let you get any further." Sakura tried to state with authority.

The Kankuro guy guffawed a little before Temari whipped out a couple of pieces of paper, waving them around with a sardonic smirk. Sakura believed that they were there for official reasons, since she caught a glimpse of the insignia of Konohagakure. However, that didn't relive the situation the little boy with a scarf had gotten himself into. "You do realize that you need to put that boy down, right? If you harm him, you will leave me no choice but to subdue the both of you," Sakura said in more confidence than she felt.

Kankuro and Temari shared a knowing smirk before Kankuro responded. "I _was_ going to let the little gaki go after scaring him a little, but since you've _threatened _us with a fight, I think I might want to stretch my 'combat legs' a little before the chuunin exams," He said while craking his knuckles. Sakura glanced down, biting her lip, kicking herself for putting out the bluff. Her feather light pink hair fluttered in a gentle breeze, a complete opposite to the tense situation. When Sakura looked up, however, she couldn't repress the gasp that escaped her lips.

Standing unnoticed between the two Suna genin was a boy, slightly shorter than her. She couldn't see his eyes because his blond head was drooping and his shoulders were hunched. His arms hung limply at his sides, apparently moving with the gentle breeze. He had orange cargo pants with an orange muscle shirt that hugged his torso. Sakura would have thought the boy got back from a devasting defeat, if it weren't for his bronze skin and rippling muscles under his shirt and on his arms.

The two Suna nins were still smirking at Sakura when a wraith like, hollow voice spoke from in between them, startling them. "You should listen to Kunoichi-san," the boy said. Kankuro and Temari tried to turn towards the boy, but get had a hold on Kankuro's weapon, and he was holding Temari's fan stationary by holding it down with a nail glued to the front of his sandal.

"O-oh yeah," Kankuro remarked.

"Oh yeah," the defeated looking boy said. He then looked up, startling Sakura once again with vivid blue eyes, eyes that seemed hauntingly familiar. However, the biggest shock was looking into the depths of those eyes. Unlike the rest of him, they looked barely restrained, with unbridled fury, even moreso while looking into Sakura's own green pools.

"You see those two over there," the boy said gesturing towards Sakura. Surprisingly, standing next to her was Sasuke, with an intense stare. She didn't know whether it was directed at the strange boy or the two Suna nins. "You know nothing about them," the boy began again, dragging Sakura from her thoughts, "and they know all they need to know about you."

"W-what are you talking about?" Temari gasped out. She was trying to wrench her battle fan from the boy's grasp, but wasn't strong enough.

"Aww, cute little Suna gaki's, trying to play ninja. You will never be able to compete with a true ninja, a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato," the boy growled out. "I couldn't even graduate from the academy," the boy spat out, "and I could tell how to beat you. Just think what those two could do against you, Wind Mistress, and Puppet User."

When the boy uttered those words, Kankuro's anger reached its limit and Temari's desperation grew. They both maximized their struggles to get out of the boys grasp, but were unprepared for what was about to happen. First, the boy, who had a firm hold on the puppet's head on Kankuro's back, crushed the head with a slight squeeze. Kankuro gave a agonized yell, as if his own head was crushed. Temari on the other hand faired a bit differently, as the boy slammed her fan down the couple of inches it was above the ground. It did nothing more than unbalence her.

Now with nothing to hold on to the two Suna nins, Kankuro whipped around, dropping the little boy he was holding, who immediately ran over to his two friends. The detatched blond quickly gave Temari a side kick, bouncing her along the ground twenty feet away, before he sprung into the air.

Sasuke viewed the whole thing in slow motion. He wasn't aware if his Sharingan was activated or not, but the boy looked to be moving in real time, while the other two looked like they were in slow motion. That boy just moved with so much grace it was hard not to be in awe of something like that. While in the air, the boy slowly spun, and connected with a roundhouse to the Suna nin's jaw. After that, Sasuke's vision sped up as the Suna nin was launched from the boy's foot as if he had been shot out of a cannon. The Suna nin exploded into a tree, causing a massive dent in the tree. Luckily for the nin, his puppet seemed to take most of the brunt of impact. Sadly though, said puppet was no more than wood chunks.

When Sasuke looked back towards the blond, another surprise awaited him. A boy with red hair and with eyes with bags underneath them, sporting a crazed look in his green eyes. The gourd on his back was leaking sand, and the blond boy had sand creeping up his legs. Before the sand made it up to his waist, it surprisingly fell off, with a seemingly shockwave being emitted from the blond boy. It did little more than ruffle Sasuke's clothes, but it seemed to have a significant effect on the red haired boy.

Temari could only watch on in awe. She was a little ticked off that the boy didn't use the strength he used on Kankuro, knowing implicitly it was because she was a girl, but ultimately happy as she watched Kankuro try to get up groggily and dig the various knives and wood chunks from his back. She was shocked when she looked back and Gaara, with his murderous, crazed eyeswas behind the blond boy. She recognized that look. She witnessed that look every time they went on a mission and Gaara assassinated _all _of their enemies. Hell, he'd slaughter _everyone_ until his bloodlust was satisfied. She knew it would spell doom for her team not being able to accopmlish their mission since Gaara would now kill until they were stopped or all of Konoha was destroyed.

It was shocking to her when a silent shockwave was emitted from the blond haired kid, nullifying Gaara's sand. Gaara had gotten a crazed unblinking expression to his eyes, then the boy spoke.

"You use that _demon_ of yours on me? One that you should control, and yet _it_ controls you." The boy, with lightning speed, reached behind him and grabbed Gaara by his head. "You now will not have your demon to rely on, for about two weeks. I have silenced it, with the power of _my demon._" The boy only whispered, allowing only Temari and Gaara to hear him."Perhaps now, you'll embrace all that is ninja, and know what that means." The boy then gave Gaara one final squeeze, knocking him out through intense pain and throwing him at Temari.

"Take your brothers and leave. If you cause anymore trouble, I'll be there, and I won't go so easy next time." Temari gave a slight nod and gathered up her brothers and left.

As the blond boy was about to leave, Sakura yelled out to him, "What's your name?"

They boy just quirked a questioning eyebrow with fury filled eyes. "Do not concern yourself with my name Kunoichi-san. I am beneath you, and your skills." With a seemingly after thought, he added, "Thank you for protecting me and all of Konohagakure no Sato. May fortune favor all of our shinobi," and left before she could blink.

Sakura looked towards Sasuke as he clenched his fists. "You didn't recognize him Sakura?" Sauke asked. She shook her head as Sasuke said back, "You should. That was the Dobe who followed you around for god knows how many years. He flunked out of the Academy a few months back when we graduated. That was Uzumaki Naruto."

**AN: **This story just came to me. It won't be too long, I think around ten chapters, fifteen at most. I hit a block on _Will of Change_, I know where I'm going, it just hard to write to get where it will easily flow out, you know? So write this until I get the next chapter up for that story. So, I hope you like this bad boy.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The three prodigious Suna nin's were still marvelling in their thorough defeat at the hands of an Academy flunkie from two days before. Their sensei, Baki had finally met up with them, and questioned the nearly one-eighty degrees of change in his students. Besides looking completely rested, Gaara was teetering between complete rage and utter fear. Kankuro was sporting a downcast look, which was quite different from his normally exhuberant self. And Temari, for the first time since Baki took her under his wing, looked unsure of herself.

Temari was the one who answered his questioned of what happened when Baki asked them. "All three of us were defeated by an Academy Flunkie. He even screwed up Shukaku for about two weeks, according to... _him_." Usually, _him_ refers to Gaara, but this was different.

"Who is _him_?" Baki asked. Temari described him as an orange wearing, wraith like blond boy. She also said that he might be Konoha's Jinchuuriki. Baki sratched his chin as Temari regaled the events of the days previous. Half of his mind listened to what she was saying, the other half was adding his newly gained information to what he knew about Konoha.

'Mostly likely, he is the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And has completely mastered his bijuu, if what Temari is telling me is correct. Not only that, though, I heard of someone fitting a similar description defeating a literal town of bandits. Definitely someone to look out for.' Baki thought.

Once Temari finished describing their run in, omitting the fact that Kankuro threatened the life of the Sandaime's grandson, Baki weighed in his own opinion and gave them their orders concerning the wraith like blond.

"Alright, my orders to you three, yes, even you Gaara," who gave a questioning, evil stare to Baki, "are to avoid conflict with this _Yuurei_ at all costs. I'm issuing a 'flee on sight' order. Especially with our upcoming... _mission._"

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke were walking along their sensei, Kakashi and their other teammate, Akan Eda. Eda was pretty useless to their team, in an intellectual sense. His fairly long, brown hair stuck out all over the place, with a bandage across his nose. His green and brown ninja gear helped him blend in with the surroundings of Konoha, but were starting to tighten across his chest and arms. In battle, he was a physical juggernaut, but he was also stupid as a rock. Sasuke actually prefered it like that. Eda looked up to Sasuke reverently, since Sasuke told him what to do. And when Sasuke told him to do something, it usually saved all of their lives. 

Currently, Sakura and Sasuke were wandering uselessly around Konoha with their teammates. Sasuke finally got frusterarted enough that he broached the subject that happened a few days ago.After describing the scene, Kakashi got a pensive look, or at least it looked that way.

Kakashi remembered a report from his old ANBU squad from about three weeks ago, before they took the Wave mission, about the near annhilation of a village on the outskirts of Hi no Kuni. It apparently was a town full of bandits, samurai, and nuke-nins of ill report that had taken over a town. When the ANBU group finally got there, all they could find were dead bodies and a haunted child dressed in orange. They tried to question the child after inspecting the area, but he had already disappeared with three of the highest ranking shinobi running the town. Said shinobi's heads turned up at the nearest bounty station, with said bounty station 300,000 ryo poorer. Needless to say, the kid was doing okay for himself.

"Hmm, that kid, Uzumaki Naruto, right?" He looked towards Sasuke for confirmation on the name, which he got. Good, he can tell his former teammates. "Yeah, umm, yes that's right. He apparently rooted out a town about fifty miles away from here, Juhi no Sato," here, Sakura's eyes widened. "Ah, I see you've heard of it Sakura. Yes, well, it was full of those you three should not keep for company, needless to say," Kakashi finished in a preachy manner, as he pulled out his Icha Icha book.

"How strong were his opponets?" Sasuke asked, thinking that maybe he could spy on the Dobe and either spar him or steal some moves with his Sharingan.

However, Kakashi guessed his motives. He stopped and looked each of his pupils squarely in the eye. "Do not antagonize that boy. He is ANBU level. Well, he would be if they knew who he was, since they're currently trying to identify and recruit him. If you piss him off, I can't guarentee you'll live." With that, he opened his book and continued on his way, with his students following him to the Hokage tower, which he circled three times.

**AN: **This chapter was pretty much just to introduce you to how strong Naruto got in his Six month span from leaving the Academy. You might think he is too strong, but I'll explain how and why he got that way in up coming chapters. Thius is most likely the last chapter with out an 'active' Naruto in it. The rest will focus predominantly on him.

Also I didn't really proof read this, or care about length. This story isn't one I want to succeed, just one to get out of my head so I don't put some of these idea's into my other fic that wouldn't make sense for that Naruto.

**Dictionary:**

Akan Eda: Useless Twig

Juhi no Sato: Village of Tree Bark

Yuurei: Ghost, Specter, or Phantom


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

'Thwack, thwack, thwack...' came the bloody blows Uzumaki Naruto delivered to the blood coated training log he was mercilessly pounding. It always happened like this, since the day he was denied his dream. Each time he would have to find a new training log to pound, breaking the one he used every time.

The day he was stripped of his hitae-ate, was the day his heart broke. He didn't cry, that was for babies. Instead he bottled up his rage, keeping his fury just underneath the surface. Naruto remembered that he beat a log he found after he ran out of the village on one of the rarely used training grounds. After fifteen minutes, his hands and jacket were covered in blood, his hands had chunks of wood where his knuckles were supposed to be. Once his anger, pain, and unbridled fury finally reached its pinnacle, Naruto remembered hearing a crack, which he thought might have been his hand. Instead, he watched in fascination as his training log slowly toppled over, looking as if it was bleeding to death from all of the blood Naruto let loose on the chunk of wood.

He remembered watching in fascination as his hands glowed a strange type of red, nearly crimson, as that strange glow pushed out the wood chunks and sealed his cuts. Naruto remembered as his mind got accustomed to the healing power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, his demon.

He remembered a want, no, a need to meet with that demon. Once his desire grew, he finally blacked out, landing in a sewer type tunnel, with water up to his ankles. He walked down the corridor, finally finding a door, and opening it, not fearing the beast on the other side of the door. Naruto had too much rage, too much pain to feel anything but.

The cage surrounding the massive beast was a typical cage... just massive. The beast in side had a manical gleam in its eyes, and a hellish grin on its face. Naruto was disgusted that this beast was sealed inside of him.

Coming closer, Naruto stopped as he noticed a flicker of movement, and the Kyuubi's paw millimeters from his face. For his credit, Naruto didn't even flinch, which just caused the Kyuubi's grin to become that much wider, that much more blood thirsty.

"Why are you here, gaki?" Came the booming voice of the Kyuubi. It was so loud, Naruto couldn't distinguish if it was a deep baritone of a male or the soft voice of a female. It didn't matter, in Naruto's books, the Kyuubi was no more than a thing.

"Why?" Questioned Naruto.

The Kyuubi only quirked a demonic eyebrow. That question was so open ended, it could pertain to anything. Before the Kyuubi could ask 'why what,' Naruto clairified. "Why did you attack Konohagakure no Sato? Why that day? Why?" Asked Naruto's pleading voice.

The Kyuubi only relished in the sadness it caused. The despair was a literal feast to him as he drank it in. It grinned wider, and gleam in his eyes, intensified as it replied, "Why? What a stupid question. The reason is simple," said the Kyuubi as it licked its chops, "I did it because I could."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as his manical laugh was cut off. All four paws of the Kyuubi were suddenly clamped down by massive bear traps, causing a wail of pain and anger to emanate from the great demon. Before it could roar out its diapproval, all nine of its tails were nailed to the wall behind it, eliciting even more pain, anger, and anguish from the Kyuubi. Next, a heinous spiked collar appeared above the Kyuubi, turning so that once put on, the spikes would dig into the Kyuubi's flesh. Finally, a muzzle appeared out of the air, in front of the Kyuubi's snout. It too had spikes on the inside and Naruto slammed the muzzle over his prisoners snout, causing demonic blood to drip out of the various air holes.

"You, Kyuubi, are my prisoner. Your power is now mine, you will give it to me whenever I desire. Your will is mine, I will break it and build it back up to break it again as I see fit. Simply put, you are mine to abuse and punish as I see fit." To emphasize Naruto's point, a leash slinked down from the top of the cage, attaching to the Kyuubi's collar. The leash then jerked up, only allowing enough room for the Kyuubi to take shallow breaths, as its paws were yanked from the bear traps, causing long gashes across its legs.

"Welcome to hell, Kyuubi, I hoped you enjoyed your earlier stay, because for the rest of my life, you'll feel all the pain you caused Konohagakure no Sato." With that, Naruto left his mindscape, hearing the yelps and painful whines that the Kyuubi released.

'THWACK!' came the final blow to the bloody stump he had been pounding for twenty minutes. Instead of breaking, it shattered as Naruto's final blow came from above, sending wooden splinters in every direction.

"Time for Kage Bunshin training, I guess."

**AN:** A little faster this time I guess. I must admit, the last chapter got a lot of reviews, which made me update quicker. This I believe is the last non-plot chapter. This I hope illustrates how Naruto has completely dominated the Kyuubi. The next chapter will be introducing Jiraya, which I hope doesn't take away from the angst (I like funny characters, I don't like emo's). Plot will probably come after that, along with ACTION!


	5. Chapter4

**Chapter 4**

Naruto looked over the village of Konohagakure no Sato. He was sitting atop the head of the Yondaime Hokage with a sunset over the forest to the west of the village. Here and only here could Naruto release a smile. A genuine smile of contentment as he over looked _his_ village. Because, whether he liked it or not, it was his village. Naruto felt that even though he wasn't a shinobi protecting the village, it was his for the taking. He felt that, in due time, the villagers and shinobi would look to _him_, no one else when push came to shove.

Naruto would be there too. When the villagers didn't notice him, he witnessed how utterly happy they were. No where in all the other elemental countries could another produce such happiness, such prosperity. Naruto desperately wished he could be part of the hub bub of the village workings.

Sadly, he knew he would never be apart of it. Naruto knew that life dealt him a crappy hand, but he was still dealt a hand that had to be played. He swore, on his life, on the Yondaime's sacrifice that he would protect and ensure the prosperity of Konohagakure no Sato.

This wasn't to say Naruto wasn't bitter about his life. Naruto thought perhaps that it was his fate to not have happiness. That thought angered him. Naruto was going to control his life, not some insane, abstract concept humanity created. He made it his goal to find happiness. He would obtain happiness by ensuring Konoha's happiness.

Sure, he could have left the village when ever he wanted, forge a new life for himself outside of the village's walls where the glares and discrimination never occurred. That would be the coward's way though. And Konohagakure was the happiest place on the continent, in Naruto's mind. Why give up gold for silver, Naruto thought. Oh how he detested those _children_. They thought the protection of the village was some sort of game. Something for glory or power. They never realized that the happiness of the village rested with them. Lives were put into their hands, and they wiped their hands clean of the defenseless villagers. If he had his way, Naruto would have stripped them _all_ of their ranks. If he couldn't be a shinobi, one who understood what exactly was on the line, then those fools shouldn't either.

Naruto cleared his thoughts as the sun sunk behind the horizon. It was time to go _home_ for rest. He had to train again tomorrow... and find out where the next threat against Konoha lay.

* * *

Jiraiya tried to keep peeking, honest. But the kid in the orange A-shirt and cargo pants was making it had to. Jiraiya didn't find the child attractive, no he was a super perv. He didn't find the kid altogether annoying either. It was the combination of the kid's adeptness at fighting and utter uselessness of his chakra use.

Watching the kid battle a Kage Bunshin with what appeared to be a set of butcher knives intrigued him. Twenty or so Kage Bunshin circled them near the hot spring they were training at intrigued him. When the kid dispersed the clone he was fighting, only for one from the circle to take its place intrigued Jiraiya.

Sure, Jiraiya had seen many adept taijutsu users. Most of these guys had what many others called _finesse_. How useless! They were ninjas, for kami's sake. Since when did killing need finesse? This kid, Jiraiya thought, had _ninja finesse_. Something that was actually useful. No flashy moves, no erroneous movements, and no wasted physical exhaustion. Jiraiya realized something with his analysis, it wasn't _ninja finesse_ the kid displayed, but cold execution.

After Naruto finished dispersing his clones, he heard someone clapping. It was that goofy white haired guy in the gay red robes. "Sorry to disturb your peeping, sir."

Jiraiya smirked. Manners, he liked that in potential apprentices. "Not at all, not at all. It's not often that I get distracted so easily from my past time,"Jiraiya remarked. 'Usually in life or death situations really,' Jiraiya sweat dropped on his own patheticness.

"Well, don't worry, I'll be leaving now," Naruto said as he began moving from his makeshift training ground. Jiraiya began to notice several oddities at that moment. 'The didn't use kunai with his training, nor does he have a Hitae-ate. As a matter of fact, this isn't even a training ground.'

"You're not a ninja, are you?" Jiraiya correctly calculated. Naruto froze on his way, realizing that he had just showcased his talents to a shinobi, something he dreaded. He could be executed for practicing shinobi arts without proper observation or clearance.

"Don't worry kid. Your secret is safe with me,"Jiraiya said. He too knew of the punishments for non-shinobi to practice the 'arts' without proper clearance. And for good reason too, people blowing themselves up trying to do a jutsu was not needed and mess... it was just that the punishment was a tad excessive in Jiraiya's opinion.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Shinobi-san, I'll leave now," Naruto tried to rush out of there as fast as possible, but Jiraiya was suddenly in front of him.

"Nonsense," Jiraiya said, trying to alleviate the sweating Naruto, "You got potential kid. I like that." Jiraiya was not one to turn do a diamond in the rough, in this case a diamond that just needed some reshaping.

"Don't worry yourself over me, Shinobi-san," Naruto said, still trying to find a way from this dominating shinobi. Naruto could feel this man saturating the air with his chakra. Naruto knew this was no ordinary shinobi. Naruto knew that he wouldn't able to get away from this man, only if that man let him. Naruto could try to get away from him, but with the air saturated with this much of the man's chakra, he could Shunshin anywhere before n\Naruto even took his first step.

"And why not? I like little pet projects, and I think I just found my newest one," Jiraiya remarked tapping his chin in thought with where he should begin.

"I'm sorry Shinobi-san," Naruto began, "but, uh, as you pointed out, I'm not exactly a ninja. I shouldn't even be training," Naruto said with a jaded look in his eye.

"Bah! Nonsense. I'll tell you now, with what I've seen of your skills so far, your taijutsu is easily Chunin level, maybe even Jonin." Naruto blushed with the praise. He didn't know he was that good.

"So, I don't think training from you would be necessary," Naruto remarked. He wanted to get away desperately. He was never good in prolonged social situations.

"Yeah, but your chakra control sucks. You could have easily made three times more Kage Bunshin with as much chakra as you put out. And judging from your that display, and that your still standing after a spar and expelling as much chakra as you did, your reserves are massive. To not be delving into ninjutsu would almost be a sin with as much potential as you have." Jiraiya critiqued Naruto. Naruto didn't know if he should be proud with how much potential he had, or embarrassed with how much he technically sucks.

"I-I'm sorry, I really shouldn't," Naruto finally broke and tried to leave.

"Well, at least let me give you some pointers," Jiraiya cried out exasperated. How could someone be so stubborn!

"Like what Shinobi-san?" Naruto asked.

"Goddammit, enough of that 'Shinobi-san' bullshit. My name is Jiraiya, of the Legendary Sannin and Super Pervert extraordinaire! You can call me Jiraya-sensei or the Super Pervert Jiraiya. And what i have in mind is a little exercise called tree climbing..."

**AN:** Hi. Short chapter. But I'm alright with that, cuz that way it's easier for you all to read back through my story with feeling an extreme sense of deja vu. The good reader might see some plot holes, but everything with be cleared up while the story continues. After all, unlike some authors, I don't like to give readers the whole cow, make sure you guys come back for some milk, eh? Peace.

PS: I'm not Canadian, eh. It just slipped out, eh.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **You know what I do and do not own.

**AN: ** Just to let you all know, _The Tale of Uzumaki Naruto_, is cursed. Two times I have finished the latest chapter and two times a CPU unit has crapped out... I nearly cried this time so I thought _Fuck it_ and decided to update this one 'cuz the good Lord willing says it's better (at least through divine fuck ups).

**Chapter 5**

'Man,' Naruto thought. He was sweating profusely. After a month of training with Jiraiya, he had greatly improved his chakra control. Everyday, Naruto would show up at the Hot Springs after his daily 'purge' (shattering a log through pure bitterness) for chakra control exercises. He currently was beefing up his chakra reserves with the Water Walking exercise. He completed the Tree Climbing exercise two days after meeting Jiraiya and finished the Water Walking exercise after a week. Naruto just came day after day to the Hot Springs to talk with Jiraiya. The simple truth was, Naruto enjoyed his company... akin to that of a grandson and grandfather.

Oh yes, Naruto knew that his and Jiraiya's relationship would become strained at best, shattered at worst. However, Naruto knew that if he never experienced the joys that the normal people of Konohagakure no Sato experienced, he would never protect those bonds to his fullest extent. His pain was well worth it, in Naruto's opinion because the joy he felt over making anyone and everyone happy was more exhilarating than the recent bond he had forged with Jiraiya.

Sadly, Jiraiya had been gone for three days now. Naruto didn't know if that was the end of their friendship. He wished it had lasted longer, Naruto didn't feel he built up the relationship to its fullest extent. At least he got a taste of a familial bond.

Today was also the beginning of the third stage of the Chunin Exams. One of Naruto's clones had picked up some info concerning a Nuke-nin sabotaging a student during the Second Exam. However, Naruto was determined to stop all further aggression on Konohagakure no Sato resident's... even if they didn't understand the meaning of shinobi.

Naruto had just finished his sparring with his increased number of Kage Bunshin, thanks to Jiraiya's instruction when it happened. An explosion at the stadium holding the Third Stage of the Chunin Exams went off and all hell broke loose. Naruto watched as three different Summon Snakes attacked Konohagakure no Sato from three different directions and enemy shinobi poured over the village walls. Naruto's rage was palpable as he was instantly covered in red chakra.

At a blinding speed, Naruto cut down many Suna and Oto shinobi, often so fast that citizens and Konoha shinobi could not identify anything of their savior other than an orange blur. Naruto had evened the odds for the surprise attack, for once the Konoha shinobi regrouped, they easily forced back both Oto and Suna shinobi.

Naruto, however, was more concerned with the brown behemoth moving his way in the shape of a Tanuki. Naruto easily reached the monster in under than three minutes. He knew, even from the center of Konoha that this _thing_ was the Ichibi.

"I thought you had learned a lesson," Naruto quirked at the lumbering demon. Said demon comically looked around for a few seconds before he spotted Naruto.

"_You,_" The Ichibi growled out.

"_Me!_" Naruto growled back. "I thought I told that I would be there the next time you and your siblings caused trouble," Naruto said as he shifted his gaze to a panic stricken Suna Kunoichi with blond hair.

"He doesn't know better!" She pleaded. "Please just don't kill him, he hasn't had a good life," she sobbed.

"Tsk," Naruto grumbled. "As is the curse of the Jinchuriki. _I _am not some crazed lunatic. He _will_ be dealt with... _with prejudice_," Naruto snarled as he once more sent another 'shock wave' out from his person, causing the sleeping red head to awake, but not dispelling his demon.

"_You again_," Gaara snarled. "_I must have your blood!_" as a tendril of sand shot out for Naruto. Naruto just stared at the tendril as it came closer until it ultimately collapsed.

"I am jailer of the king of demons. I control _all_ youki. Your attempts on my life only aggravate me. Cease and desist at once... and I'll spare your life for the one that loves you."

Gaara scoffed when he heard that someone loved him. "W-who could love me?" He questioned the blond.

"Why, the girl pleading for your life. The one in Pig Tails." Naruto answered as he used Gaara's chakra to replicate his sand manipulation and float to eye level with his arms crossed.

Gaara only looked down to his older sister, a girl he never gave a thought to, standing on a tree branch, crying. "Why are you crying?" He asked in a whisper.

"She cries for you," Naruto scowled at his brethren. "The story for all Jinchuriki is to be hated and despised," Naruto began in a cold, hard voice, "but, it seems that the hate is less with the rank of the demon," he said in a lighter voice while looking at Temari.

"I have known nothing but hate in my life," Naruto began with his folded arms on a floating cloud of sand, "please, for the sake of all Jinchuriki everywhere, do not shun the love she has given you," Naruto finished in a pleading voice.

Gaara could only stare wide eyed at Temari. Someone who loved him? Impossible.

Naruto sped back to Konoha after dealing with Gaara. The boy still didn't understand the concept of someone at least caring for him, but with the Suna Kunoichi's thanks, she marched the gob smacked Gaara, and an unconscious Kankuro back to Sunagakure no Sato.

Naruto couldn't use Gaara's floating sand to fly back, he could only direct youki that was in use within a certain radius. It didn't matter to Naruto anyways, he was already back to the walls of Konoha.

Immediately upon entering, he noticed a purple dome covering a part of the Konoha skyline, and with his added sensitivity to chakra, he knew that's where the main battle was going on.

Naruto arrived at the dome, which had a group of Konoha ANBU just standing a distance off. Peering into the dome, Naruto faintly watched as the old man Hokage struggled against three opponents. Two he faintly recognized as the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage. The third was standing slightly off to the side with a sick grin on his face.

"Why aren't you breaking the dome down?" Naruto asked the ANBU with barely restrained malice.

In unison, the four looked at Naruto. If Naruto didn't have such a strong constitution, he would have been intimidated by the faceless symmetry of their actions. The apparent leader only raised a hand pointing at a pile of ash. Naruto put the puzzle together almost immediately. Touching the barrier meant a certain death.

Naruto jumped around the dome, looking for any kinks in the design. Sadly, he could find none. He did notice that the ancient Hokage in the dome summoned Enma, the Ape King. Naruto felt some hope return to an almost desperate situation. Naruto also noticed four teenagers hunched at the four corners of the dome. It seemed that they were the anchors for the shield.

Naruto quickly assessed the four, deducing that the most hot headed of the bunch would most likely be the one with six arms. Naruto got as close to the shield as he dared and stared the kid down. At first, the kid just smirked at him, but Naruto's dead panned stare was starting to unnerve him, which was pissing him off. Naruto would have taunted the kid, but from what he guessed, no sound got in or out of the dome.

In Naruto's peripheral, he noticed a complicated chain of hand seals the Hokage was going through. After a minute, the decrepit Hokage finally bared a grin as if he just won the battle. The Shodai and Nidaime dropped to the ground as the strange man charged the Hokage with a gleaming sword jutting from his mouth. Enma was able to grab the blade, but it was too late. The blade had passed nearly six inches out of the aged Hokage's back. Instead of gasping for mercy, the Hokage only smiled more as the strange man started to panic.

Seconds after, the Hokage fell, and so did the dome. The four cornerstone shinobi, who Naruto was able to finally see an Oto designation on, tried to regroup and protect the strange man. Naruto made a bee line for the six armed shinobi as the Konoha ANBU also began their pursuit. The fat completed a jutsu that slowed the ANBU just enough to for the Oto nin's to get away. However, the one Naruto stared down tried to leave a parting shot on the blond. He surprisingly spat a web at Naruto. Naruto focused his eyes in concentration, trying to catch up to the group, but they were surprisingly quick.

_It's time to use _that jutsu, Naruto thought. Holding his hand out, a wicked looking kunai 'poofed' into existence. The blade was abnormally long, and had a side winding nature to it. Naruto flung the kunai with precision as it slashed through the web, but missed the six armed shinobi by a foot. The Oto-nin smirked at, what he thought was, horrible accuracy, instead, the kunai 'poofed' again, and in its place was another Naruto appeared, giving the surprised nin a roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him out with the force.

"Welcome to the world, _Onryou_," and Naruto's clone gave him a grim nod as he watched the speedily retreating backs of the Oto-nin's as Naruto went to cover the face of the Sandaime Hokage.

**Dictionary:**

_Onryou:_ Revengeful ghost, wraith, spirit


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** You know what I own.

**Chapter 6**

Naruto stood far off, watching the Sandaime's funeral. It was surprisingly, not a grand funeral. The only shinobi allowed to go were genin or ninja related to Sandaime. The village's security was top priority after all. Civilians were not allowed to go either; they had to start rebuilding Konoha.

Naruto stood so far away so he wouldn't get noticed. On the outside, he looked indifferent to the whole situation. His insides were another story altogether. Naruto felt regret and was second guessing his relationship. He was now unsure if the Sandaime truly cared about him, or if he was just doing his job as Hokage: protecting and taking care of _everyone_ of his village. Naruto had to reconcile that it was most likely a combination of both. He also felt regret that he acted like a child for the past eight months. He wished he was able to just have one more talk with him, let him know that Naruto didn't blame the old man for what happened with him. Naruto knew that at first, he was being childish, but that later his own pride kept him from seeking out the man. Naruto would not let something like this happen again.

"What's up, gaki?" A gruff voice startled Naruto out of his musings... a familiar, perverted voice.

"J-Jiraiya?" Naruto asked, turning around in wonder and awe. Someone had actually come back to him!

"What? You thought I had left?" Jiraiya asked with amusement. "You've got to realize, little kid, that I'm a busy man. Things to do, women to peep."

"B-but I thought that you just left me, you know not coming back?" Naruto asked in a pitiful voice.

"Maybe I should have," Jiraiya said in a harsh voice, making Naruto visible flinch. "I'm not in the business of training people, or being around people for that matter, who feel sorry for themselves. I know that your life has been rough," Jiraiya began in a more tender voice,"but some things you need to rise above. You need to learn that not everyone is out to get you... just most people." Jiraiya finished while chuckling at his own joke, realizing just how true it actually was.

Naruto thought about Jiraiya's advice, and about his own realization just before Jiraiya got there. Naruto realized that swallowing his pride was needed, but he did need to have pride in himself to be able to be a functioning human being. He refused to be less than a human... a demon.

"So what did you come back for, Jiraiya-san?" Naruto said with a barely noticeable conviction in his voice.

Jiraiya was a little irked that the boy had addressed him as _san_. He has been addressed as _sama, sensei, _and _hentai_ (which really wasn't a real honorific), but nothing irked him more than being addressed as _san_. Especially by Naruto, who knew that he took offense to the title.

"I came back for you, but I think that was a mistake," here Naruto smirked a little at getting under Jiraiya's skin, "and also to find a Hokage." As he guessed, Naruto's ears perked up with that information. He knew the boy secretly coveted the position, and that Naruto was his best chance to get his old teammate back to Konohagakure no Sato.

"Who are you bringing back?" Naruto asked with his head cocked to the side... they would have to meet his approval first.

"My old teammate, Tsunade, the Slug Sannin." Naruto nodded his head in thought. Tsunade was a very strong candidate. She was trained by the Sandaime, easily the foremost expert on medicine in any country, and an immense strength that made twenty shinobi with chakra enhanced limbs look like children.

"At least I can rest safely knowing _you_ won't be Hokage," Naruto said almost if he was talking to himself, "I won't have to hang around the hot springs protecting the women from _their_ Hokage."

"You damned brat!" Jiraiya yelled out as he reached to ring Naruto neck, but inside, Naruto lep deftly out of his way as they chased each other for the better part of a day.

"So what was the technique you were going to teach me?" Naruto asked as he followed Jiraiya. The duo were currently walking away from Konoha, looking for Jiraiya's errant teammate, Tsunade.

"The Rasengan, fool!" Jiraiya snapped back to Naruto. For his credit, Naruto didn't even flinch.

"What's so special about the jutsu anyway?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya gave a big sigh and hung his head in defeat as he stopped in the middle of the road. "The Rasengan was created by the Yondaime Hokage. It was his second most powerful jutsu. It requires fine chakra control and can kill and maim or just incapacitate enemies. It's an A-rank technique and one of Konoha's most prized techniques..." Jiraiya finished.

"I don't want to learn that jutsu," Naruto said quietly.

"What do you mean? It's a great technique!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"It seems like a very personal technique, something that the Yondaime treasured. It should be kept a secret," Naruto remarked as he walked on.

"If anyone has a right to the Yondaime's techniques, it's you, Naruto." Jiraiya stated in a calm voice. "What he did to you was a very regrettable thing, Jiraiya began, "and I know that his at ate him up on the inside. You are as close to him than anyone alive today, Naruto, for what he did to you. This technique, by all rights, is yours."

"I don't want the jutsu if it makes him feel better," Naruto said with a little edge to his voice. They all knew who _he _was.

"Look, I can understand that, really I can. But look at it this way: the Rasengan is the the pinnacle of chakra manipulation jutsu. It hones chakra control as well. If you learn this technique, you don't have to use it. The only thing you have to take away from this training is how to manipulate chakra on such a scale, you don't need hand seals." Jiraiya reasoned with Naruto. He didn't want the Rasengan to die with him. And when Naruto learned of his heritage, he might want to use the technique.

"Well, I guess I could learn it. I do have an idea for a jutsu, and it sounds like this training might help me out," Naruto reasoned. Besides, if worse came to worse, he would have a lethal jutsu to get him out of sticky situations.

"Excellent! And for further incentive, this is what the Rasengan does!" Jiraiya shouted out as a blue sphere appeared in his hand and shoved it into a tree. Naruto's eyebrows rose into his hair line as he watched the grinding action against the tree. It was truly powerful.

Naruto sat in his hotel room as Jiraiya went out to peep. Naruto was currently on the second phase to learning the Rasengan. It had taken him a week to get up to that point. Sadly, his arm felt like it was on fire. When the pain got to be too much, he would summon a dozen or so Kage Bunshin's to do the exercise. That was almost as bad though, because he always got "ghost pains" traveling up his arm afterwards.

It was currently one of those moments when he heard soft, polite knocking on the door. "Who is it?" Naruto asked through the door. He got no answer, and before he laid back down on his bed to rest for a little bit, another round of knocking occurred.

"What?" Naruto asked impatiently as he yanked the door open. Standing in front of him were two men, each wearing black robes with red clouds on them. The first man was abnormally tall with blue skin and gill-like markings on his face with a huge, bulky sword on his back.

The second man was far shorter than his comrade, but still quite a bit taller than Naruto himself. He had long black hair and tired looking eyes that surprisingly contained the Sharingan.

"We would like for you to come with us, Naruto-kun," the blacked haired man asked in a raspy, hollow voice.

"...No," Naruto said in a defiant whisper, looking death in the face as he stared unflinchingly into the eyes of the Uchiha.

"Then how 'bout I cut your arms and legs off," the blue skinned man asked with apparent glee in his voice.

"If you think you can..." Naruto trailed off as he turned his stony gaze to the blue skinned man.

Said man's eyes wide with joy has he yanked his swords from his back so fast, Naruto didn't even see the blur. The blue skinned man swung his swords with apparent sloppy movements as he took out the whole entrance way, with Naruto just ducking under the blade in time.

Naruto quickly flipped back, trying to make space between the blue skinned man and himself. When he landed, he heard the Uchiha say, "Kisame, we need him alive, and we need to be discreet." The blue man just shrugged as he returned his blood lust gaze back to Naruto.

"Let's continue this dance, squirt."

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was in an unfamiliar taijutsu stance and his eyes were the blood red of the Uchiha. Naruto noticed the slight widening of the Uchiha's eyes. Naruto smirked as he explained.

"The Uchiha think _they_ control the Kyuubi no Yoko with their Sharingan eye. The truth is, Kyuubi granted them that power, with his own potent blood for a sacrifice... the clan leader's closest friend, his brother Hyuuga Hinoiri...

"As to why I have the red eye of the Sharingan? Because the Kyuubi is my _prisoner_! His powers, knowledge, strength... everything I want of his is _mine!_" And before both men, Naruto seemingly teleported in between them. Naruto vaulted into the air and gave 'Kisame' a roundhouse kick to his head. But instead of launching him, Naruto barely moved his head an inch. The only pain Naruto caused, seemed to be him shattering his own foot.

"Oh. That _tickled_!" The man remarked. "Besides these shockingly good looks, I'm stronger than ten Jonin!" He boasted before he clutched his head. It seemed that Naruto's kick at least gave him a migraine. "Son of a _bitch!_" Kisame moaned before he shook his head and stood up straight, giving Naruto a deadly glare. The only movement made by the Uchiha throughout the ordeal was moving his head slightly out of the way of Naruto's attack.

Before Kisame made his charge at Naruto again, him and the Uchiha both stood a little straighter, followed by a strong, boastful voice. "Well, well, well..." remarked the perverted hermit Jiraiya, "If there is one thing I'm passionate about than peeping," he began, "is TAKING ADVANTAGE OF PRETTY GIRLS!" He yelled at the two.

Kisame was still shaken that someone had gotten within ten meters of him without him noticing, and neither did his sword. However, before he could square his shoulders to his new opponent, everyone heard a loud chirping sound, before the blur that was Uchiha Sasuke stormed in. He made a beeline for the other Uchiha, but the older Uchiha simply grabbed Sasuke's lightning coated hand and snapped it.

"Foolish little brother," the man rasped out. Naruto now recognized the man. He remembered seeing him every now and again when ANBU had to protect him. He was also the man that slaughtered Sasuke's clan: Uchiha Itachi.

"Itachi," Sasuke growled out, "_I'm going to kill you!_"

Itachi didn't even raise an eyebrow as he threw Sasuke against a wall. Through this time, Naruto was able to get next to Jiraiya.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Naruto asked.

"Somethings," Jiraiya began in a rough whisper, "are better learned the hard way."

At that point, they both heard Itachi whisper out, "_**Tsukiyomi!"**_

A second afterwards, Sasuke screamed out and fainted. That must have been Jiraiya's signal, because he began hand seals and shouted to Naruto: "Get Sasuke!" Before he shouted out _**"Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari!"**_

Suddenly, the walls of the hotel hallway erupted into that of the fleshy substance of Iwagama's esophagus.

"Kisame, RUN!" Itachi rasped out as the walls began to try and suck them in. When the walls got too close for comfort, Kisame would beat them back with his sword. Jiraiya and Naruto commenced to chasing them shortly after they fled, but were too late when Itachi used a fire technique to burn away the last part of the wall before it too was consumed and they escaped.

While Jiraiya examined the strange black flames, he didn't notice Naruto's wide eyes, until he sealed the black fire. Jiraiya heard Naruto murmur a small "_Sugoi!" _before smirking to himself_. _

It looked like there might be a new toad hermit and seal master coming to Konoha in the coming years.

**Techniques:**

**Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari:** Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind

**Tsukiyomi: **Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan's ultimate genjutsu

**AN:** I have decided to to this story into a darker tone. At first, I was going to have Naruto find happiness. Now, after contemplation, I'm going to loosely base this off Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" song (totally bad ass, and I can't believe no one has done that yet!). Not word for word, mind you, but you might here a line or two in some coming dialog that gives a nod to the song.

Also, I'm calling it now: Naruto becomes the new toad sage, masters hermit mode (probably another break in manga, where Naruto comes back after two years, totally mastering toad summoning, maybe the next series will live up to the _Hurricane Chronicles _instead of the_ Lightning Chronicles,_ if you get my drift), takes out 'Hawk,' kills Sasuke, then beats Akatsuki, which allows him to become Hokage. You heard it here first.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** You know what I own

**Chapter 7**

Naruto's training and search with Jiraiya was already nearing a month. Naruto had completed all three stages of Rasengan training a week ago, but had far from mastered it. He refused to begin working on anything else until he had completed all three stages. He could now make a Rasengan in about five seconds with the aide of a Kage Bunshin, but Jiraiya had deemed that enough of a success to official say Naruto had completed the Rasengan.

Since then, Naruto had split his time between summoning, fuuin jutsu, and creating his own unique jutsu based off of the Rasengan. The time he used for training were in unequal amounts, only learning fuuin jutsu and summoning for something to do. His main focus was on creating his own jutsu. The jutsu itself had taken on similar steps of learning the Rasengan, but Naruto knocked it down to one and a half steps. He used the idea of breaking open a balloon filled with air. After Naruto figured out how to do that, the half step was containing the force in a sphere and not breaking the balloon. His jutsu was just as deadly as the Rasengan, but less complicated. However, the down side was that it required even more control and did cause stress to the user's body.

Naruto had been trying to figure out the last half step for the past two days, and unlike his previous training with he Rasengan, was seeing no improvement as the minutes passed on. He had asked Jiraiya for any pointer his experience might provide, but Jiraiya could only scratch his head. Jiraiya told Naruto that the jutsu, in the final form Naruto wanted, might not be possible. That was not what Naruto wanted to hear and stubbornly went back to work on his creation of his 'ultimate jutsu.'

Naruto was futilely trying to make some kind of head way on his jutsu when Jiraiya barged in the room, frantically searching around the room for Naruto. He conveniently forgot to look in the middle of the room, on Naruto's bed. He found the boy three seconds later, "I finally found her!" the perverted man shouted out. Both Naruto and Jiraiya sighed with contentment, realizing the search was over and that Jiraiya would not have to become Hokage by default.

The two left minutes later and found Tsunade at the casino where Jiraiya had last seen her, winning money hand over fist and drinking Sake by the gallon. "Whoo hoo," the two heard her drunkenly shout out when she won another pot. Naruto noticed a mousy haired woman look around her and the busty blond, for what Naruto did not know, but it held a look of desperation to it.

"Tsunade-hime, long time no see," Jiraiya greeted her as he walked up to meet her. Tsunade tipsily spun around, trying to unravel the blurry face in front of her. The mousy haired woman gave a visible sigh of relief when she recognized Jiraiya, Naruto noticed.

Finally, Tsunade recognized the white haired pervert and muttered, "Oh, it's you," before spinning less energetically around to her slot machine.

"Yeah, it's me. How 'bout I treat us four to dinner!" Jiraiya boomed out, trying to seem as friendly as possible.

Tsunade spun around again when she heard 'us four.' In her drunken stupor, she missed the blindingly orange boy next to Jiraiya. "'Us four?'" Tsunade questioned. "When'd you learn to count, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked drunkenly, before giggling at putting down the old pervert.

"Eh? I'm talking about you and I, and Shizune and Naruto here!" Jiraiya said, gesturing to each member in turn.

Tsunade blinked, then squinted her eyes when they fell on a too bright blob of orange. "Why are you walking around with an orange blob, Jiraiya? An' why'd you name it something stupid like Naruto?" Tsunade questioned with a crooked smile regarding the absurd situation.

"I'm not a 'blob,'" Naruto coldly stated. Tsunade's eyebrows rose comically as she heard the blob talk.

"Holy shit! It can talk!" Tsunade exclaimed loudly, attracting the attention of other patrons near her, wondering why she was questioning the ability of speech a preteen possessed.

"I'm not an 'it,' either," Naruto growled out. He turned to Jiraiya and asked, "Are you sure she's going to be the next Hokage? They might as well and appoint the town drunk! At least he looks like he can carry himself in a fight."

Jiraiya rubbed his fist in his face as Tsunade's happy-go-lucky facade faded. The orange blob had said 'Hokage,' and suggesting she was going to be one. Never mind the barb of her being a drunk (she was proud of the fact!), or not being able to fight while being drunk (she was stronger than anyone when she was drunk, the blob just didn't know).

"What's the blob talking about Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked in what appeared to be a sober voice.

"Sensei died and Konoha needs a new Hokage," Jiraiya tiredly explained. Beating around the bush would only piss Tsunade off more and he just didn't have the energy after the emotional roller coaster of the past month.

"Like _hell_," Tsunade growled out, slamming her fist on the slot machine, cracking it down the middle.

"Your damn right! _Like hell_ I would let this _lush_ be Hokage," Naruto said, slamming his own fist on an adjacent slot machine, cracking it as well. His however, was due to pure physical strength, not the drunkenly used chakra enhanced fist of Tsunade.

"What did you say to me, you Orange blob?" Tsunade asked, cracking her knuckles.

Jiraiya was confused. This was the first time he had seen to two blonds _fiery_ for lack of a better word, in a _very_ long time. He didn't know if it was the subject involved or the people, but he would be damned sure if things weren't about to get interesting!

"You heard me, _hag_, no way will I let you be Hokage! I'll kick your ass myself if I have to," Naruto exclaimed.

"How 'bout we continue this dance outside?" Tsunade drunkenly purred. Naruto was repulsed by it, a fifty year old hag _purring_ at him of all things!

"Fine by me," Naruto whispered as he walked outside, with Tsunade following.

"Ah, Tsunade," Jiraiya said, tapping on his old teammates shoulder.

"Whassit?" She drunkenly asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Jiraiya began to explain.

Tsunade stopped in her tracks and whirled to face Jiraiya. "Don't worry, I won't hurt your _precious _student... _much!_"

Jiraiya's pointer fingers suddenly began tapping together, as if he was nervous. "It's not him I'm worried about, but _you!_" Jiraiya finally spit out before Tsunade.

Tsunade only laughed as she continued her trek outside. Jiraiya quickly shouted out behind her, "He's stronger than he looks!"

"How strong is he?" a new voiced asked Jiraiya, giving him a little jump.

"Oh, Shizune! I forgot about you there," Jiraiya said with his hand over his chest. Worst thing for a ninja was not _not_ finding someone, but forgetting about them when you did!

"He's about ANBU level. Not as strong as Hatake Kakashi, mind you, but strong enough to make Kakashi sweat a little, if you know what I mean." Shizune's eye's widen and quickly rushed after her master. Normally, an ANBU level ninja did not present much trouble to a ninja the caliber of Tsunade. However, a drunken Sannin is still a drunken Sannin. More people have ended up dead to Tsunade 'handling' a creditor when she was drunk than she cared to think about. And if Jiraiya was right, collateral damage was about to become a sure thing.

The scene that greeted Shizune when she got outside was like something out of a sappy book detailing a samurai showdown. The eerily dark street was deserted, with litter and dust lightly blowing in the wind. The breeze was causing Tsunade's jacket to flap in the wind and her hair to gently ebb and flow with the wind.

Naruto looked unfazed as he stonily stared down Tsunade. 'I think I got a chance as long as I strike hard and fast,' he thought, taking in Tsunade swaying back and forth due to her drunken state. 'I don't think I can beat her, but I might make her sweat a little.' With that thought, Naruto reached behind his back, and pulled three kunai out with each hand. He quickly let them sail through the air towards Tsunade.

'This little shit sure doesn't know how to throw kunai,' the drunken Sannin thought, as each kunai began to pass her, each missing their mark by three feet. Before Tsunade could smirk, she was interrupted by six 'puffs,' which then kicked and punched her into the ground. However, they didn't stop there. The bunshins then began to pummel her into the ground.

Naruto smirked with how easy it was to get the jump on her. However, his smirk disappeared when the clones all simultaneously 'poof'd' out of existence. Tsunade ungracefully climbed to her feet, mostly due to the fact she was drunk. When she reached her full height, she cracked her neck a couple of times before fazing out of Naruto's sight.

Naruto was made suddenly aware of where Tsunade was when her fist buried itself in his gut. Luckily for Naruto, Tsunade's drunkeness made her timing slightly off, thus saving his internal organs from being obliterated from the Slug Sannin's uncanny strength. To Tsunade's surprise though, Naruto didn't launch backwards like nearly everyone hit with one of her punches, but held on to her arm.

Naruto couldn't breath and tears were welling in his eyes, but he had the presence of mind to hold on. Naruto took it a step further and extended his right hand as a blue spinning orb appeared in his hand. Tsunade's eyes widen when she recognized the jutsu, and just dodged it in time when she threw Naruto away. Naruto himself was also surprised since he finally created a Rasengan without the aide of a Kage Bunshin.

"Ugh," Naruto moaned from the rubble that used to be an abandoned shack. He groggily got up, but swayed due to the concussion to his head. It would be better in a matter of minutes, but Naruto warily looked towards the Sannin hoping he would be alive long enough to recover. To his surprise and relief, Tsunade had started attacking and yelling at Jiraiya for teaching him the Rasengan. Naruto smirked as he fell down to a knee, if he knew using that jutsu would get the pervert in trouble, he would have used it a long time ago.

It had been four days since his beat down from Tsunade. Naruto was currently just outside the town working on his own jutsu inspired by the Rasengan. Since his fight, Shizune had taken it upon herself to keep him company and they were quickly becoming easy friends throughout their ordeal. When Naruto took breaks from his experiments, they usually discussed ways to get Tsunade to agree to be Hokage, or more likely for Naruto, why she should not be Hokage. They often got into little spats when the conversations steered that way, but the quickly got over it, at least by the next day.

Unknown to those two, Tsunade was infinitely curious over the blond boy shrouded in orange. Jiraiya had relayed most of his history to the buxom blond, but she was still intrigued. She was also disgusted that Konoha threw him away, as he would be a boon to their forces, and upset with her former sensei for doing nothing for him. She refused to admit it to Jiraiya, but she was enamored with the blond enigma. Not in the sense that she was falling in love with him, but in the sense that she wanted to be around him and learn as much as she could about him. She was strongly considering becoming Hokage just to make his life better and make Konoha's hell.

The next day, Tsunade had come to the decision to accept the rank of Kage. Jiraiya, Shizune, and Naruto were all out at Naruto's training field trying to help him get over the bump in his new jutsu. However, she froze in her footsteps as a voice whispered in her ear that she hadn't heard since exactly one week ago, a voice that she had forgotten about since a little blond boy showed up in her life.

"Hello Tsunade. Have you made a decision concerning my offer yet?" The hissing voice of Orochimaru asked her as his tongue snaked around his smiling mouth.


End file.
